THE SUNDAY Vol. 37 No. 24 | Sunday, March 8, 2026 30 Pages | `5 & for Pune `7 | Reg. No. MCS/048/2021-23; RNI No. 46955/1988 M.p.c.s. office Mumbai-400001 FREE PRESS JOURNAL INDIA EDITION | www.freepressjournal.in ● Leader in E-paper circulation l E-paper edition is not a replica of the print edition Weekend Saurabh Shukla reflects on 30 years in cinema and why he is still hungry for more US HINT AT SOFTENING OIL CURBS? WEEKEND Pezeshkian apologises FPJ News Service FPJ News Service MUMBAI Remarks by US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright have sparked debate after Washington appeared to soften its stance on India’s purchase of Russian crude. The comments emerged as global energy markets face renewed uncertainty due to tensions affecting shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. The sequence of remarks began on March 5, when Bessent confirmed that the US Treasury had approved a temporary 30-day waiver allowing Indian refiners to receive Russian oil cargoes that were already loaded on ships. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has apologised to neighbouring countries for missile and drone attacks carried out during the ongoing war with the United States and Israel, while warning that Tehran would still retaliate if those countries allowed their territory to be used for strikes against Iran. In a pre-recorded address broadcast on Iranian state television on Saturday, Pezeshkian said he was sorry for the attacks that had targeted regional states hosting American forces. “I apologise… to the neighbouring countries that were attacked by Iran,” he said, Masoud Pezeshkian 4Contd on | Nation according to reports by Reuters, AFP and the Associated Press. The president said Iran’s interim leadership council had decided that no further missile or drone strikes would be launched against neighbouring states unless attacks against Iran originated from their territory, according to Reuters. “From now on there will be no attacks or missile launches toward neighbouring countries,” Pezeshkian said in the televised message, adding that the restriction would apply unless Iran was attacked from those countries, AFP reported. 4Contd on | Nation 4See also | Nation, World ‘Surrendered to neighbours’ ‘Decision was made after Modi left’ PTI NEW DELHI US President Trump on Saturday claimed that Iran had apologised to its Middle Eastern neighbours and pledged to halt attacks against them, asserting that the shift followed sustained military pressure from the US and Israel. In a post on Truth Social, Trump said Iran had been “beaten to hell” and forced to retreat from what he described as its ambitions to dominate the Middle East. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar on Friday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi could not be briefed on Israel’s strikes against Iran during his recent visit because the decision on the military action was taken after the trip ended. Modi undertook a two-day visit to Israel that concluded on February 26. Two days later, Israel and the US launched a joint military offensive against Iran that killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Sa’ar, participating virtually in the Raisina Dialogue, said Israel has “great relations” with Modi and India that have deepened over the years. 4Contd on | Nation 4Contd on | Nation Home LPG price hiked by `60 PTI NEW DELHI President flags Bengal protocol breach FPJ News Service MUMBAI The Indians had been very good actors. We had asked them to stop buying sanctioned Russian oil this fall – they did. – Scott Bessent Sunday Read Sharmila Tagore, Soha, and Sara on rewriting the rules for women CAVEAT | Iranian Prez says Tehran will retaliate if neighbouring countries allow their territory to be used for strikes against it MUMBAI Scott Bessent & Chris Wright Good Life The milk debate Why Holi was celebrated on two different dates President Droupadi Murmu on Saturday publicly expressed displeasure over what appeared to be a breach of protocol during her visit to north Bengal, noting that neither Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee nor any minister from the West Bengal government were present to receive her at the airport. Addressing a gathering of tribals at Bidhannagar near Siliguri, the President also criticised the sudden shifting of the venue of the tribal community’s annual programme, saying the change had reduced public participation. Murmu remarked that Banerjee was “like her younger sister” but wondered whether the chief minister was upset with her, given the absence of any senior representative of the state government at the reception. “Mamata Banerjee is like my younger sister. I am also a daughter of Bengal. I do not know whether she is upset. Anyway, that does not matter. All of you stay well,” the President told the gathering. According to established protocol, the chief minister or a minister of the state government is usually present to receive the President during an official visit to a state. However, when Murmu arrived at Bagdogra Airport on Saturday afternoon, Siliguri Mayor Gautam Deb was the only public representative present to welcome her. 4Contd on | Nation Effective from March 7, domestic cooking gas LPG price was hiked by ₹60 per cylinder on Saturday, marking the second increase in rates in less than a year, as oil companies passed on part of the spike in global energy rates that followed the West Asia crisis. Non-subsidised LPG, which common households use in kitchens, will now cost ₹913 per 14.2kg cylinder in Delhi, up from ₹853 earlier, according to the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) website. Ujjwala Yojana beneficiaries, the over 10 crore poor who have received free LPG connections since 2016, will also bear the same price increase. They will now pay ₹613 per 14.2kg cylinder after accounting for a subsidy of ₹300 per bottle available for up to 12 refills a year. This is the second increase in 11 months. The price was last hiked by ₹50 in April last year. Alongside, the price of commercial LPG, used by establishments such as hotels and restaurants, was increased by ₹114.5 per 19kg cylinder. 4Contd on | Nation 4See also | Nation